Majime
by Miss Monneypenny
Summary: The winters in northern Beijing brought on a biting chill, though on this particular afternoon the city radiated from the abundance of life. The streets were alight with red lamps and warmed by the people who walked them. It was the final day of old habits and the celebration of the new year. Jesse McCree sat and smoked, not knowing how horrible the night was about to become...
1. Chapter 1

[These characters belong to Blizzard Entertainment.]

Majime: An earnest and reliable person who acts accordingly under any circumstance.

Bitterly cold and humid, now that's a hell of a combination. The winters in northern Beijing brought on a biting chill, though on this particular cloudy afternoon the city radiated from the abundance of life. The streets were alight with red lamps and warmed by the people who walked them in parades. It was the final day of old habits and the celebration of the new year, you'd be damned to find a cold soul on such a festive day.

Jesse McCree leaned back in his chair and took a long drag of his cigar. Smoke curled through the air and twisted around the brim of his hat. He tilted his head and watched as the plumes rose to join the thin haze of residual smoke that hung in thick curtains over the streets. There were five hundred and forty windows facing inwards on the town square before him, with four streets that led out from there, roughly seventy windows for every one hundred feet in each direction leaving the total around eight hundred and twenty windows. Jesse knew each one, he studied them in preparation, making sure he picked a good spot to observe from. An outlaw like him knows where to look for outlaws, that was his job, and he was mighty fine at it.

Since Overwatch was reinstated, Winston had been allowing clandestine operations almost exclusively. According to the Petras act, it's illegal to for their group to operate under official UN designated terms, but since the Hortus act of 2045, Beijing claimed independence from the republic of China, now acting as a non-UN recognised territory.

They've been dodging legal disputes in attempts to not be labeled as criminals, like trying to catch leaves on a windy day. They had set up their base of operations on the cliff of Gibraltar, another non-UN, two and a half square mile rock on the border of Spain. Overwatch purchased the land around a year before the disband and built a small base there, luckily the rights remained under the organization even after the outlawing of official operations. They've had to play it slow and safe even with the brilliant minds that led them, sending off small teams of no more than six on missions at a time.

The technicalities didn't matter to Jesse, he'd spent enough time as a humble desperado on a hell-bent road to know his way around rules. By now every country started to look, and move the same way, making his job more predictable at least. He glanced through a window at the digital clock on the wall. It read 16:21, not quite time.

McCree sat at an outdoor patio hidden under a red awning, clouded in a sticky smoke from something being cooked and sold to the crowd in the street. Everywhere there was smoke and the smell of sweet and salty foods rose into the grey sky like a mist. It felt hot and damp against the back of his neck. Children were running and laughing in the square ahead of him as their paper dragon kites lifted into the air. The wings illuminated with a shine brought on by the soft red lamps that were strung up in every direction. He noted a group of young men circled together in the street, laughing as they took turns being brave and lighting firecrackers. The city roared with high spirits that hummed all around Jesse, he felt alive.

"Never thought i'd see a Chinese new year first hand." He spoke low to the com in his ear with a small smile.

"Right?" Lena's sunny voice chirped in his ear, "It never even reached my bucket list. But isn't it great? Mei has been telling me so much about it all. She's really brilliant! Did you know it's the year of the rooster? Apparently my chinese zodiac is a rabbit! Oh I really wish the big guy was here to see it. He'd love this so much-"

Jesse looked across the street up to a balcony where Tracer and Mei stood, blending in with the crowd in reds and blacks. He chuckled and watched as Lena started to gesture excitedly to her story which she appeared to be telling to herself alone. She must have noticed too and quickly dropped her voice to just above a whisper, resting her arms on the balcony railing.

"Anyways," she said with a giggle, "the party's going to be here soon, love. ETA in ten, keep those sharp eyes on the horizon for me."

A low hum resonated in the square as fireworks whistled into the sky, drums began a low rhythmic beat as two puppet dragons, one red and white, one black and gold, danced through the streets. The crowd cheered and followed the dancers as they assembled to watch while the drums quickened.

Jesse was not watching. His eyes were surveying the rooftops and the initial five hundred and forty windows of the town square, scanning the street around them down to the last crack in the plaster walls. He knows Tracer is bothered about what happened to Mondatta last year in King's Row. The omnic monk was assassinated under her watch during a peaceful congregation, sparking another wave of outrage in the omnic community during their fight for equality. With affairs so tense between human conservative radicals and omnic civil rights activists, Overwatch agreed to be here tonight to protect the personal friend of Mondatta, an activist and monk from Beijing named Fa Hung Jin. No one would be dying tonight, not on his watch.

He was wrong.

Shadows shifted in the corners of McCree's vision. He looked to his left, across the narrow street and up to the shingled roof where only a tincture of a man knelt, hidden in the darkness of the rooftop's silhouette. Watching the man, Jesse took a shallow pull and let the smoke drift from his mouth, his right hand moved to the gun on his hip. He was ready, itching for a good fight.

But even in the shadows a ribbon of gold flickered catching the cowboy's attention, as a breeze blew between the streets. Jesse hesitated, narrowing his eyes. Then the realization hit him, it was just the archer. He sighed, and leaned back while the noisy world around him crescendoed to life. The new guy, Genji's older brother Hanzo joined them nearly two months ago. Genji disappeared and then returned a few days later telling the team of their soon to be companion. Though, no one had expected that he'd actually respond to Genji's call.

Jesse frowned at the rooftop shade as he recalled meeting the man for the first time. He heard the story of what happened to Genji when Angela revived him all those years ago, it made it hard not to have a vendetta against him. They all had their fare share of sins to atone for, but the man killed his little brother...damn, what does that take? Jesse knew Genji before it all, he was an angry kid, hot headed, it kind of reminded him of his own stupid self before Overwatch. Did Genji deserve what happened to him? Probably not, but Jesse wasn't about to go sticking his nose into other people's personal affairs.

Before Hanzo Shimada arrived, He tried to picture what kind of brute a brother killer looked like. But when Jesse saw him for the first time he was mildly disappointed. In front of the team stood a man, smaller than him in height and size, groomed, and proud as he expected the eldest heir to the Shimada Gumi to be, but there was something off to Jesse about his collected exterior. His body was rigid and his movements were calculated and precise. His eyes were perceptive but wary, it was clear he didn't enjoy being here. That irked McCree more than anything. Why would he show his face here?

Genji was standing next to the archer as they talked in gentle tones. Jesse could just make out that the conversation wasn't in english. When they'd finished speaking, Genji placed his hand on Hanzo's shoulder, a gesture to which the archer paused but after a moment, returned.

Jesse watched as the archer greeted Winston with a small, formal bow that probably made the ape blush under his dark blue skin. Hanzo moved on through the group, thoughtful in his actions, he introduced himself to Lena and Lucio with refined manners, though never holding eye contact. Jessie studied him, curious as to who this man really was.

"Manners, Jesse." Angela whispered into his ear, as Hanzo approached. Jesse chuckled to himself and took a step forward to meet the new member.

"Howdy" McCree drawled, inhaling deeply from his cigar then blowing the smoke into the space between them. Hanzo paused, taken aback as the cowboy shot him a wayward grin and offered his hand.

"The name's McCree."

Hanzo scowled down at Jesse's hand for a moment then took it in a firm shake. McCree stared at him, daring him to meet his eyes, he did not disappoint. Hanzo glared at Jesse, his eyes were cold and distant, dark like hollow bullet shells. Jesse searched them, but the other man was good at keeping himself hidden. McCree was intrigued, but before he could do anything else Hanzo broke their contact and moved on without ever speaking a single word. And after a few more quick introductions Hanzo addressed them all politely, thanked them and disappeared before you could say 'blueberry pie'.

In the past weeks Hanzo proved to be an impressive addition to the team, a sniper that made their work much more efficient. Genji is the only one he ever really communicates with, unless it was essential to their mission. At first it amused Jesse that the great warrior was so shy. But then it slowly began to frustrate him, he regretted his first and seemingly only encounter with the man. After seeing how well he and Genji were getting along these weeks, Jesse began to realise that his vendetta had become his own unnecessary prejudice. So he made it his personal side mission to get a proper judgment of his new teammate, but getting Hanzo alone to have a casual banter with was proving to be much more difficult than he originally thought. Hanzo always slipped away before Jesse ever got the chance to speak to him, gone like the thin smoke from a Tatuaje cigar.

"Showtime love!"

Jessie blinked back into focus as Tracer announced Fa Hung Jin's arrival, realizing he had zoned out while staring up at the archer's hiding place like an idiot. He cursed to himself for losing the time and quickly re-scanned the city scene before him.

"Rooftops and windows clear, no bad guys yet."

"Same on this end." Lena's voice seemed strained. Jesse looked up at her as she faced down into the gathering crowd with noticeable concern.

"Hey cowboy," She hesitated. "Think you could be a dear and be in the crowd tonight? I feel like having someone closer to the client would be better... in case of an attack. Plus Mei and I got point from up here."

Jesse stood up from the outdoor table and adjusted his hat.

"No problem darlin." His voice was sweet like honey as he took one last drag from his cigar and stubbed it.

"Thank you love!" Tracer sounded relieved. And then in her usual chirpy tone, "It won't be that bad, you'll have our new sniper watching your back, eh?"

McCree stole once last glance at the rooftop and then sighed and turned, walking towards the edge of the crowd.

"Now isn't that a peach…" he grumbled.

In the center of the square was a stage set up for tonight's events. Jessie caught a glimpse of the spiritual activist as he took to the stage with a roar of applause. The omnic was the color of obsidian, dressed in a red silk robe. He moved with fluidity, raising his arms to welcome the crowd. Jessie stepped smoothly through them, glancing down each alley he passed as he made his way to a better vantage point. His ears were alert, his eyes were sharp like a broken mirror.

Fa Hung Jin's speech began, his voice rang like bells across the countless heads that faced him. Jessie leaned against an alley wall and searched the crowd. Faces full of emotion laid before him, though none were looking his way he could feel the power and connection formed between the citizens and the monk, and for a long moment there was silence.

"...Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood…" Jin continued. "...Now is the time to understand more...So that we may fear less." The crowd cheered at the inspiring words and Jesse used the moment to move closer to the stage.

A man in the crowd a few yards behind Jesse cheered with the rest. He was average height, average build, maybe a little on the smaller end. He wore glasses and as he clapped, a black bracelet with a green charm clinked against his wrist, a gift from his girlfriend. He took a few quick steps to his right to get a better view when suddenly something slammed into his back, as though someone ran straight into him. He stumbled forward, bumping into the people ahead of him and lost his glasses. After a moment of fumbling on the ground for his glasses he stood and turned around, expecting to see someone waiting to apologise, but everyone was just looking at him with concern evident on their faces.

"Who pushed me?" He tried to sound tough.

"No one did, you just fell...Are you alright?" The woman behind him looked slightly frightened.

"What?" The man's face was red with anger and embarrassment. "No way! Someone pushed me! I'm not stupid, I felt it!"

Jesse could hear the banter in mandarin behind him but chose to ignore it, when suddenly he felt something. He froze just as a cold whisp of air brushed past him. His eyes turned and in a moment of a moment he saw the faintest shift of the world before him like he was staring at it through a glass. Instantly he remembered the spies he met during his time in Blackwatch. People who specialized in being unseen, wearing armor that projected the world on top of it's surface, making them invisible to the naked eye... Something felt wrong.

"We might have a situation." He spoke low to Tracer, making his way faster to the stage.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lena dart down from the balcony, appearing next to one of the bodyguards behind the stage. She whispered something to the man who seemed to com it into the agents around him. Then, it all happened so fast.

A flash of neon light split across the center stage as a young woman dressed in violet appeared just in front of Fa Hung Jin. He stumbled back in surprise and before anyone could make a move, the woman leaned in and pressed a small round silver object against the omnic's forehead.

"Boop."

The silver ball shifted and absorbed into his metal skin, and then with a light *click* she vanished, just as Jesse reached the stage. He shot down where she just had been. It hit nothing, she was gone. Jesse hurried to Fa Hung Jin and led him away from the crowd, blocking him from the public's view.

"Ni shenti hao ma?" McCree asked, glancing sideways at the omnic.

Fa Hung Jin nodded distractedly, touching his hand up to his temple.

"...Thank you." his voice was monotone.

Tracer met them at the stairs with three other men wearing black suits. Jesse guided the monk over to the guards who escorted him down the street, followed closely by Rienhardt and Lucio.

"What the hell was that, do ya reckon?" Jesse asked as he watched them go.

"...I'm not sure." Tracer's voice was quiet. He looked over at her staring off into the distance.

"Jesse, did he tell you anything? Did you see what exactly she di-?" Tracer turned to McCree and froze.

Jesse raised a brow, "...You good?"

Her mousy face drained of color.

"Jesse." She whispered, her eyes widened in horror.

Then Jesse noticed it, a small, clear, red dot of light, hovering over his heart. He was being targeted.

"...fuck."

A thundering bang sounded over the square, its echo reached Jesse's ears twice before he realized he was falling. He shut his eyes as he hit the floor on his back, then the screaming began. All around him he heard screams, then gunshots and shouting. Jesse assumed he was gonna die now, he had just been shot and by the sound of it, by a pretty advanced rifle. He had just been shot… McCree opened his eyes, why didn't he feel any pain?

Tracer.

He sat up in a panic, hoping to god his supposition was wrong, but he wasn't wrong often. Laying next to him, still as a sleeping lamb was Lena with her tiny frame and spunky hair, and a bullet hole in her back.

"No no no shit! Lena…" Jesse gently rolled her over. Her eyes were glassy and her breath was short and strangled. Jesse held his hand against the wound on her belly, knowing it wouldn't do much good, the bullet went straight through her. In the corner of his eye, Jesse saw the blue glow of Reinhart's shield. There must have been more attackers, but he didn't care about being hit in the crossfire.

"Hey kiddo." He spoke softly. "Stay with me sweet pea."

Tracer lifted her head, "Y-you...good?"

Jesse shook his head with a hollow chuckle. "Not with you like this."

She smiled. "Cheers...th-then." Then in a flash of blue she disappeared from his arms and reappeared a moment later standing beside him, completely unharmed.

"Oof, much better." She rubbed the spot on her tummy where the bullet had once gone through then looked up and smiled. "Ever get that feeling of deja vu?"

Jesse deadpanned. Blood dripped from his hands, her blood 'mind you. Just a second ago was a life changing, horrific moment for him, the team, even the world. But nope she's fine, hell she's even making puns. Lena tiptoed in front of him and waved her hand in his face.

"Oi! Snap out of it, there's a fight going on!"

She pulled out her pistols and giggled before darting out of sight and into the battle. Jesse stood up, it seemed he was right. Agents filled the windows and repelled down the walls like spiders, or centipedes. McCree narrowed his eyes, it was the Wu, Talon made a bond with them long ago, they were mutual business partners, just as long as they respected each other's territory. The Chinese terrorist organization was known for their drug empire, Wu assassin's specialize in poisons which the organization creates and sells to Talon, bringing on a new meaning to chemical warfare. They have been rumored to test them on slaves who they traffic and use for free labor. Jesse spat on the ground. His fingers slipped around Peacekeeper and he aimed down his sights ready to kill.

"Step right up."

The battle was messy, there were still civilians in the streets and Jesse had to constantly keep moving so as to not catch anyone in the crossfire. Reinhardt's shield was a god-sent, or else there'd be many dead lying in the streets. Lucio, their field doctor and second newest member weaved between the chaos like a dancer, getting people out of the battle zone while Mei protected them from grounded agents. Jesse was quickly picking off the window snipers. With Tracer alive and the fight leaning in their favor so far, there was nothing that could hold him down. Jesse felt like a man possessed.

He was about to finish off an enemy sniper in the fourth story window when an arrow crashed through it before he could pull the trigger. He watched as it struck the man's head then broke, sending several scattering blue arrows inside apartment. They lit up the room and Jesse could see several other agents he didn't notice before as they were each pierced by an arrow. Jesse smirked, mildly impressed. He took aim at another one on the third floor and twitched his finger to fire just as another arrow shot through the window, taking down the Wu agent in another clean headshot. Jesse huffed and quickly snapped his aim down to a large gunman in the street before him and fir-, an arrow whizzed from the sky and pierced the man's heart. McCree gritted his teeth as he watched the giant stagger and fall.

He looked up and found the archer on the rooftop behind him.

"So you wanna play then?" McCree muttered. "Fine."

The archer and the cowboy chased each other's kills, at first Hanzo bested him easily, but as the sun got lower over the clouded horizon Jesse began to catch up. It was an equal game, Jesse was almost having fun when he noticed they had won. Besides a few stragglers all of the Wu agents had been eliminated, the square felt eerily empty even though it was full of bodies .

His hand went up to his com, "You still alive there kiddo?"

"Still kicking, cowboy." Lena chirped. "So are Lu and Mei, we are heading back to you now. The police have set up barricades on each street about a quarter mile out, if we missed any they'll get them."

Jesse wandered back towards the east side of the square where he sat before this mess began. He looked around at the bodies lying on the ground, unconsciously holding his breath as he scanned for fallen civilians, then he saw him. To his right was the body of a man, average height, average build, maybe a little on the smaller end. He laid on his back, face dirty, glasses askew, his arms were stretched on either side of him. A black bracelet with a green charm rested on his exposed wrist. Jesse sighed and rubbed the wariness away from his eyes. Even if the civilian death count was low, those are families broken, hearts gunned down like their fallen loves. No matter how low it was he had failed them, the innocent dead.

McCree knelt beside the man and adjusted his glasses. Then he heard it, a hushed 'fffp' sound came from behind him. Jesse acted before his mind knew what was going on and rolled out of the projectile's path. It struck the cobblestone, a red feather tipped dart. Jesse whirled around to see a woman standing before him. She was small and dressed in white with long graying hair, and in her hands she held a pale green blowgun. A jade one he guessed based on its appearance. She was already aiming at McCree again when he whipped out Peacekeeper and pulled the trigger.

*...click…* Jesse blinked, he was empty.

A red dart whizzed through the air at him and he threw himself out of the way, just missing it. But now he was off balance, if she shot again he'd be slower. Jesse looked up just as another dart flew from the jade gun. Today just wasn't his day.

He dove to the ground, making it by the skin on his teeth. Now he had nowhere to go now. He was slow on his knees, there was no way she'd miss him. He felt the fourth dart whip across the silent gap that separated them, and then to Jesse's utter amazement, the dart was shot out of mid air. The woman and McCree stared at each other for a moment, neither registering what had happened until Jesse noticed the red dart on the ground to his right, next to an arrow from a certain archer.

Hanzo stood on the edge of the low roof next to him like a statue. His bow was nocked and taut, aiming at the woman. He looked briefly at McCree, and then back to her.

"Reload your gun." He spoke in a low, commanding tone. Jesse watched him with surprise.

"...Yeah." He reached in his pockets and felt around, managing to scavenge his last six rounds and loaded them in. Jesse spun the gun's cabin smoothly, then snapped it back in with a click. "Thanks."

The woman was watching Hanzo, her eyes were large and furious, her body was crouched like a cat. He was her opposite, the archer stood up straight, calm and still. His eyes were cold and subjective as he watched her. Wind blew between the three of them, no one moved. Then the woman wavered and barked out a laugh.

"Nani?!" She laughed louder, stretching the wrinkles across her face. "A, Shimada san, sore wa anatadesu?"

Jesse narrowed his eyes, 'Shimada san', so she knew the archer then. He glanced sideways at Hanzo, but the man was unreadable.

"There is no redemption for you, witch." Hanzo growled.

The woman spat on the ground.

"Sore wa do demo i kotodesu..." Her face darkened. "Watashi wa mada anata o koroshimasu!"

Like lightning she twisted and jumped, just as an arrow struck the ground where she had crouched a second ago. She snapped around and sent a small shower of red darts in their direction and then disappeared down the alley. Jesse shifted out of the way, the darts weren't aimed well as a distraction, the archer didn't even flinch. Hanzo jumped off the rooftop and took chase, running after the woman, Jesse followed close behind.

They chased her through the alley, catching the last of her white dress as it slipped around the bend. Hanzo rounded the corner and jumped back, almost crashing into McCree as another wave of red darts flew by them. She dashed down a stairwell, slamming into the basement door that was locked to the outside. The door cracked and busted open and she ran inside, not bothering to close it behind her. Hanzo wasted no time, jumping over the guardrail and took off down the unlit hallway.

They were inside of an apartment building. Doors with numbered quarters flashed along beside them as they ran. The woman threw open the stairwell door and began to fly up the stairs with surprising speed. Hanzo swung his bow over his back and jumped clear over the stairs, grabbing onto the center railing and began to climb it like a spider monkey.

Jesse halted in the doorway, there was no way he could do that. Cursing under his breath, McCree took to the stairs, running up 3 at a time. By the time she had exited the stairwell, McCree had lost several steps between him and the archer, who was quickly catching up to her. She bounded down the stretch of hall and from the other end, Jesse saw her reach the last door and run inside. She went into one of the apartments? Jesse figured at least now she must be trapped. He sprinted after Hanzo as he vanished through the open door.

McCree turned into the apartment, It was clean with white walls and a wooden floor. There was no furniture, no personal artifacts, only the dim glow of a teleporter which stood in the center of the room. Hanzo was standing motionless before it as Jesse walked up to his side.

"Well shit." McCree whistled. "We can get Winston to track where this goes. There's no good reason to chase her through it. These ones," Jesse tapped the base of the teleporter with his boot, "are a one way ticket only. We wouldn't be able to get back."

He looked over to the archer, "Come on, let's round up the others." Jesse turned to leave, his hand went up to the com in his ear, flicking it on.

"Hey Tracer, we've found a teleporter."

Lena's com buzzed in his ear with shitty reception. "Oh! That's great love, where?"

"The large white apartment building on the north side, room 408."

He could hear Tracer repeating it back to someone beside her.

"Okay, good job cowboy." Her voice was glitchy. "We will be right over. Is Hanzo with you?"

"Yeah." Jesse looked back over his shoulder at the archer...but Hanzo wasn't there.

Jesse's mouth went dry, he leaned out into the hallway, but there was no sign of him.

"No no no nonononnono…" Jesse ran back inside the apartment but all the other rooms were empty, the archer wasn't there.

"Fuck!" Jesse punched the wall with his metal hand, tearing out a good section of the white plaster.

"What's going on Jess?" Tracer's voice sounded worried over the com. "Is everything alright? We are a few minutes away."

Jesse paced in front of the teleporter, what the hell was that guy thinking? He went into the teleporter just after he specifically told him not to. How was this Japanese guy so stupid?! He took out a cigar and lit it, glaring sideways at the teleporter. If he went through he could find Hanzo and hold tight until the team tracked them down, if the sonofabitch was still alive. What if the teleporter led them directly into Wu headquarters? Or worse yet, Talon. Hell, she was speaking to Hanzo in Japanese right? She could have been part of the Gumi, and Jesse wasn't mentally prepared to take on the world's deadliest ninja gang with 6 fucking shots! It wasn't like Hanzo was prepared for that kind of fire either. Jesse pressed his palms into his eyes, today went south so quick.

"Jesse?!" Tracer's voice rang in his ear. Jesse stared into the blue archway, if he died today he was going to be pissed. But he couldn't return to base having left Genji's brother behind to die or be captured.

Jesse lowered his hands and swallowed before speaking calmly to Lena.

"Hey kiddo," His voice drawled. "I've got an archer to rescue. Promise me you'll find us, okay?"

"Wait-What? Jesse- wha- go-ing-on-Jess pl- wai-" Tracer tried frantically to call to him, but it was useless. His com filled with static and then went silent as he walked through the arch. He closed his eyes and felt an intense wind come from every direction as world spun and pulled him into darkness.

McCree opened his eyes and sighed.

"Back into the mix."

End of Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Jesse stared into darkness waiting for his sight to adjust. At first he couldn't tell if he had opened his eyes, it smelled like a swimming pool locker room full of frozen bacon in mid August. The air was dank and rotten, tasting like copper in his mouth. He spat at the ground, the darkness disoriented him but slowly Jesse started to make out a faint shine that caught on the textured surface of the walls around him. Jesse pulled out his gun and took a step forward. An echo of his boot scraping the ground bounced off the room around him, stopping him in surprise. He wasn't inside a building. No this room was organic, natural. He bent down and felt the floor, it was rough and cool, like some kind of stone and slightly damp. With his recently adjusted eyes he looked around him, though it was still hard to make out any details, the walls were jagged and curved like a dome around him. He was inside of a cave. _Great._

Jesse placed his flesh hand against the grainy earth and used it as a guide, walking quietly beside it. He debated calling out to the archer, but with his limited sight he knew that wouldn't be wise. It took a psychic to know what was waiting for him through the dark, and Jesse McCree sure wasn't one of those. His footsteps began to ascend an invisible incline when Jesse saw the glow of something behind the cave bend up ahead. Not needing the wall for lack of sight anymore, he knelt with his back against the flection and carefully peered around the corner. The soft glow was coming from two tall pillar shaped tanks, radiating light from the sliver of a window running down their center frame. Between them, it looked to Jesse like Angela's office space, a long desk cluttered with notes and instruments he didn't recognize. On the far end of the cave was an advanced computer system, electrical cables ran along the sides of the cave floor up and out of sight. It stood out of place, but then again so did everything down there.

Where was Hanzo? Jesse stood from the wall and cautiously moved around the room. The notes on the desk were in a mixture of languages. McCree picked up a stack and leafed through their contents. Most of it was Japanese, or Mandarin which luckily he could translate, but none of it made any sense. They were just lists of random words, 'Húlí, Lǜsè... Xuékē… Chá, Jiǔ.' All over the table were codes like this. Whoever set this up sure took careful measures of secrecy in their work. Jesse sniffed the air, there was no doubt the rancid smell was coming from whatever was being cooked in the tanks. His eyes drifted back to the basin of light before him, he suddenly had the strongest urge to see what was inside...

A scream tore through the cave like the gush of water from a breaking dam. McCree dropped the notes over the ground and quickly grabbed for Peacekeeper. The sound slowly faded into a dying echo, his ears strained for more, anything else that could tell him some detail but all he could hear was his heartbeat loudly in the silence. For a short-lived moment there was nothing, but then came another scream, this time followed by the sound of gunfire.

McCree was up and running towards the sound. He ran past the two vats and followed the caves twisted incline, squinting as light suddenly glared through the opening ahead. Jesse cursed under his breath and took off towards it like hell on foot. He had no idea what to expect or do, shit, he only had six shots and a metal fist. Jesse just knew he needed to get there, fast.

He ran out of the cave's mouth and took in the world around him. The sun set low and bright like fire over the horizon, casting long purple shadows over scorched earth. Beneath his feet was hot sand, all around him was rock and dust within a small crescent canyon, and beyond that he saw dunes like an ocean as far as the eye could see.

Gunshots sounded and cracked the stone just past his shoulder as Jesse dodged back against the cave wall. This is where his life has lead up to, McCree almost laughed he was so pissed off.

He growled to himself. "...Trapped like a spider in a bathtub."

McCree winced as a bullet barrage whizzed past him, littering shells over the canyon wall. This was the consequence of his actions, he should have expected some bullshit like this. The archer was probably already dead and all of this would be for nothing. Jesse closed his eyes and thought through the last hour of his life. If he had just stayed, he would probably be with Tracer and the others on their way to Winston with the port codes by now. Or maybe vice versa, sitting in a comfy chair with a cold beer in his hand while waiting for Winston to arrive in Beijing. He recalled Fa Hung Jin's speech and the woman in neon violet. She didn't look familiar to him, but he didn't really get the chance to see her face. Then there was the other woman, the dart blower in the white dress. Had she wanted them to pursue her? Jesse sighed and opened his eyes, even if this was all preordained what did it matter?

He was here now, he had chosen to follow.

Just then the sun's reflection caught on something in the corner of Jesse's vision. He froze and watched through his peripherals as a golden ribbon danced in the dying wind.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly upwards. "No fuckin way…"

Jesse turned and saw Hanzo kneeling behind a cluster of towering red rocks on the other side of the canyon, his bow in his hands. Ahead of him the desert's surface was littered with bodies dressed in Wu clan attire, each with an arrow sticking from their corpse. Jesse chanced a glance past the cave wall at the living agents, all taking cover behind a gallimaufry of crates and tables beneath white canopies, set up as a seemingly temporary camp.

Gunshots fired back at him. McCree held his breath and waited for his opening and then as quick as the snap of a bull whip he rounded out into the sunset, firing off three shots as he hightailed across the clearing. The first two shots of his were fatal, the last one however hit the agent's vest knocking him flat on his back. Jesse dove for cover just as the Wu agents retaliated, rolling through the dirt next to the archer.

"Baka!" Hanzo snapped as gunshots fired at them once again. "You fool! You shouldn't have followed me!"

Jesse leaned out from behind the boulder and finished off the agent laying on the ground, darting back to cover just as a bullet chipped away at the rock where his left eye had been.

"Well hell, it's nice to see you too." McCree grunted and took off his hat, ruffling sand from his hair.

The archer glowered at him, "Do not _toy_ with me imbecile." His teeth clenched. "Why are you here?"

Jesse laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was regretting coming enough already without the added hostility from Hanzo.

"You know what?" Jesse turned to face him. "I guess I thought the great Hanzo Shimada could use some rescuing, because from the way I see it you're completely outnumbered," He scowled at the empty quiver at Hanzo's side, "... _and_ out gunned. So a pretty 'thank you' would do fine."

"'Thank you'?" Hanzo scoffed. "For what? I did not ask for you to come here!"

Jesse could feel his fingernails start to dig into his palms. He sighed and relaxed a little, picking up some sand and rubbing it through his calloused hands.

"Look, this here situation is a mess of trouble. If you don't want me here, well you're gonna have to suck it up because there's nowhere else i'm about to go. Now stop hollerin' at me like a damn dog because I'm here sticking my neck out for you."

Jesse tossed the sand down and looked back around the rocks to get a quick headcount of how many agents were left. He counted nine and groaned.

"Hell, it seems like we both are fucked on ammo."

Hanzo stared quietly at him for a moment, Jesse could feel his eyes burning holes into the side of his head.

"How many bullets do you have left?" The archer asked.

Jesse grimaced down at his gun, "...Two."

Hanzo laughed sourly, "So this is your idea of ' _rescuing'_ _me_?" He stood up, brushing the dust from his kyudo-gi, and nocked his last arrow in place.

"This matter does not concern you, _gunslinger_. Keep your bullets, I do not need your help."

Jesse watched incredulously as Hanzo stepped along the shadow that stretched beneath the red standing stone.

"What do you mean this 'matter don't concern me'?" Jesse yelled.

Hanzo stopped after a few paces and turned back towards him.

"Move." The archer straightened and drew back on the bow, narrowing his eyes.

Jesse glared down the arrow's shaft, "Why? You gonna try and shoot through the fucking boulder?"

"Yes."

McCree nearly choked. What did he just fucking say?

Somewhere in the distance Jesse could hear Mandarin being shouted, and from the tone and pitch, he reconed the orders were from a woman. But his mind didn't linger on it for very long. This day had not gone as Jesse had planned. Oh he could go for a smoke right now... but no he can't smoke because he's in a DESERT...SOMEWHERE... with no cigar. Trapped like a rat behind a couple of fucking rocks with no bullets and a screwball archer.

Jesse glowered at him with the fullest intent of giving him a piece of his mind, but when he met Hanzo's stare, he suddenly couldn't speak. His eyes weren't as dark as they were the first time McCree saw them. The light from the setting sun reflected off the sand making them shine like sunlight through whiskey. Something stirred in Jesse's soul, though he couldn't explain what or why. Hanzo held every presence of a warrior, strong, confident, precise. He stared through Jesse, unphased by the danger creeping along the canyon walls, In fact he was _ready_ for it.

Hanzo huffed with irritation. "Do you want to die today fool? _Move_."

McCree didn't know why he suddenly wanted to trust the man before him. He had half a mind to give up and run, he could survive the desert, he had done so before. And it wasn't like Hanzo meant anything to him, it would be easy to leave the archer behind, it _should_ be...

McCree tucked his hat back on and sighed.

"You must be nuttier than a fruitcake." He muttered to himself. So much for _survival_.

Jesse stood up and crouched beside the archer as both men looked back down at the cluster of red boulders before them. He swore he could hear sharp whispers and the faint shifts of sand as the remaining Wu closed in on them from the other side. Jesse glanced at Hanzo, they were totally fucked.

The Wu agent's were definitely audible now, their whispers carried through the canyon from behind the rock wall as they drew in closer. McCree lifted Peacekeeper, aiming it's barrel down the setting sun and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Alright so what's your plan Shimada?"

"Be still." Hanzo whispered.

His voice was so low that at first Jesse wasn't completely sure he hadn't just made it up. The land grew darker faster than the sun seemed to set, like a cloud covered the light but there was none in the sky. He looked back down at the rocks, their shadows seemed to chase away from them. The pale sand at their feet appeared to be touched by a blue hue...or maybe it was just a trick of the senses. But then Jesse heard Hanzo speak.

The world slowed to a hair raising crawl as Hanzo's voice echoed across the canyon. The blue light was not just in McCree's mind, it was coming from the archer. He looked over at Hanzo as the blue glow wrapped itself around his tattooed arm like a snake, slithering down to his bow. Then lightning came, brilliant and white shooting across the scorched earth as Hanzo released his arrow with a final shout.

Despite the force of the wind, Jesse dared not close his eyes as two twisting creatures appeared from the lightning in a deafening roar, moving quickly across the sand. Their blue scales chased away the desert's heat like ice. Their eyes were white and hollow.

Like wind they flew to the standing rocks, tearing through them like tissue paper. Thunder shook the ground as the rocks snapped and fell. Jesse watched with horror and amazement as the creatures devoured the Wu agents, tearing them apart as shrieks of horror came from dead men. The agents tried to fight back, but their bullets went through the beasts like mist before they were all consumed. Then as quickly as they came, the creatures darted back into the sky and disappeared into the stars above.

...Dragons.

Jesse blinked and sank down to his knees, watching the sky where the dragons had once been. His hand slipped into the sand and grabbed tightly onto a handful of grains to make sure he wasn't dead or dreaming.

"...Damn…You sure weren't jokin'."

Hanzo lowered his bow. "I never joke."

He straightened and walked down the desert's incline past McCree towards the white canopies at the edge of the canyon. Jesse watched him for a long moment before he scrambled out of the sand, catching up with the archer.

"Now hold on a second, Hanzo…" The archer glanced expectantly at him, but Jesse didn't know where to begin.

"Those, those things... _Dragons_...You made them appear? You can just do _that_?"

The corners of the archer's mouth twitched and McCree was pretty sure Hanzo was fighting back a smile.

"...Sometimes." Hanzo walked ahead, silencing the conversation before it could really begin. The two men crossed the battlefield to the canopies where they found a busted radio system, shot through during the fight.

"Well shit," Jesse scratched the back of his head as he looked over the smoking electronic scraps. "I guess we'll just have to hold up here until they find us then."

"Not necessarily." Hanzo called out. He was standing on a rock looking down at something out of sight.

He walked over to the archer, looking down past the desert's curve when he saw them, four silver FSO Luminia hover-bikes, all in pristine condition for being out in the desert. Jesse whistled, trailing his hands over the throttle and fairing. These would do mighty fine. He grinned and looked over to Hanzo who, again wasn't looking his way. Instead his eyes were wary, darting from body to body across the battlefield, absorbed in a troublesome thought.

"What's wrong?" Jesse also scanned over the carnage, it was pretty jarring with all the blood. The Null Sector omnics from back in the day were far easier to kill when they didn't bleed like men and women do.

Hanzo scanned around the canyon wall, "Baipa, I can not find her body amongst the others."

"Who?" Jesse walked back to the archer, resting his hand on the gun at his hip.

"Baipa, though some know her as the Jade Witch. She was the woman who led us here."

Jesse recalled the chase, the woman in white, the jade blowgun, the maniacal laugh when she recognized Hanzo. Now that he mentions it, Jesse didn't remember seeing her after entering the teleporter. Though, he's pretty sure he heard her barking orders in Mandarin during the fight.

"Alright, you think she got away?" Jesse gestured to the bikes behind him. "There may have been more of these at one point, think she took off on one and ditched the others?"

Hanzo shook his head. "The sand beneath them is not disturbed. If she fled, it was on foot."

McCree sighed and looked back up the canyon when he noticed something. A thin wisp of smoke trailed out from the mouth of the cave.

"Or, she's still here." Jesse said, nodding towards the smoke. Hanzo turned back from searching the canyon walls and followed Jesse's gaze.

"I think your Jade Witch lady might be trying to destroy somethin in-" Jesse stopped. His eyes widened.

He had heard it... that 'ffffp' sound.

Jesse's hand was on Peacekeeper faster than a beat of a hummingbird's wing. He turned and fired, knowing he had hit his target before the gunshot rang in his ears. Sure enough, there she was, standing on top of the canyon wall. The jade blowgun in her hands slipped as she fell forwards, landing with a soft thud in the pale sand below. Her white dress slowly stained with red.

Jesse exhaled and tucked his gun back into it's holster, when he heard a strangled laugh. He narrowed his eyes down at the Jade Witch as she slowly lifted her head, smiling as blood formed around the corners of her lips, but she was not looking at McCree.

Jesse turned to Hanzo and froze. The archer's eyes were cold, looking down at a small red feather tipped dart he held in his hand.

He had been hit…

"No…" Jesse glowered at the crimson dart. "Nah, no fuckin way."

The wind blew through the canyon, carrying the witches laugh as she choked. McCree was beside her in seconds kneeling down, and shoved his gun into her temple.

"Nǐ shǐyòng shénme dúyào?" He growled in her ear. " _Tell me_ what poison you used."

She smiled up at Jesse and slowly shook her head. "...No."

He heard the faintest shift in the sand as Hanzo walked up next to them. Jesse rose and looked over the archer, his face was unreadable and distant as he gently reached his hand out for Jesse's gun. McCree nodded silently and handed over his last bullet to Hanzo. The archer aimed Peacekeeper down over the witches brow as she smiled, muttering her last words.

"J-Jigoku...de aimashō."

Hanzo watched her for a long time in quiet as she coughed and choked. The sunlight slowly fell as the desert darkened with night. Hanzo's eyes were dark and haunting behind his expressionless exterior, and then after a moment he spoke.

"Suffer."

He thrust Peacekeeper back into Jesse's hands and walked past him, out to where the red sun touched upon the desert sea. Jesse's eyes followed Hanzo, watching as he knelt in the distance before the sunset. He looked back down to the gun in his hands. The metal strained against his leather glove as his grip tightened around the barrel. Before him, the woman choked her last breath and stilled within the blood and dust.

Jesse closed his eyes. No one was going to die on his watch that night, that's what he told himself. He had already failed on that promise… He opened his eyes and looked back at the silhouette of the archer, sitting beneath the stars and sun. There was little Jesse knew in the big picture of the world, but in that moment he made his decision. As long as there was breath in his body, he would fight to redeem that promise. They were both going to live to see the sunrise again.


End file.
